A2 Bike License

[Ben_Mk3]

Can somebody give me some advice about getting a restricted bike license?

I'm 19, Haven't done a CBT but interested in going for my restricted license, do I have to do CBT & Theory first? How does it work?

Also, what sort of costs am I looking at?

Thanks in advance for any help I get!!

[pinkyfloyd]

You need to do the Theory exam and CBT. Doesnt matter what order you do them in but you do need the Theory before doing your practical.

If you havent got your own bike then you're looking at a local school and they normally charge around £100 a day for lessons etc. They'll have an intense course and put you through your test, It can cost around £500 but thats test fee's included.

If you have your own bike then your looking at around £30 for the theory. £95 for the CBT and another £100 for both parts of the practical.
____________________
illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[Paxovasa]

^what he said
____________________
Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[Rogerborg]

^^^
What they said. Find a local training school and ask them for advice about your options.

Slight technical note: you'll be doing an A2 test (on a 125 capable of 100kph), but that'll get you an A license, with a 2 year 25kW limit. There's currently no such thing as an A2 license, but there will be in 2013, so it's as well to be clear about what you'll be getting.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Teflon-Mike]

1/ First you need to apply for your provisional.
No idea what that costs these days, £30?
2/ You then need to complete a CBT course and get the completion certificate to validate your provisional entitlement.
Costs vary. CBT course is generally a one day course, and costs about £80 or so depending on where you live, and who you do it with, if you use your own bike. (which you can ride during the course, but wont be able to ride to the training centre to do the course, or back again, unless you pass) CBT courses with bike hire, are probably the better way to go. Costs a bit of string job, but 'about £125-£150 ish. Do the CBT course on a school bike, and the instructors should answer all other questions and pointr you in the right direction of where to go next. But.....
3/ TRAINING..... many will tell you to go it alone, but, I dont reccomend it. Its hit and miss, and learning the hard-way on a bike hurts! Training can take some of the pain out of the process.
A course of half a dozen two hour lessons, will set you back about £20 a lesson, on your own bike, maybe £30 on a school bike.
If you buy your own bike, you can practice what you learn between lessons, and significantly reduce the number of lessons you may need to get to test standard, and beyond, so saving more than just the £60 bike hire. Its a good way to learn, taking it in in bite sized chunks, and having a mentor to pick up on anything you are getting mucked up, between times. Gets you on the road ASAP as well, gaining experience, but if you dont let that enthusiasm take over, and remember the objective is to get the licence out the way, from you can go from CBT to test in about twelve weeks. Provided you haven't bought a complete lemon, and haven't completely stacked it, good liklihood you can sell it on after test for almost what you paid for it.
4/ Whilst doing road-training, you need to get your Hazard-Perception and Theory tests booked, and passed. You study for this at home on PC off the Instructional DVDs, and with a bit of boning up, should pass.
5/ Before doing Mod-2 'practical' you need to do Mod 1 'off-road'. Your instructor will tell you when you are ready for it. Its basically just the CBT excersises infront of DSA examiner, rather than a numpty like me in a play-ground!
6/ CBT cert, obtained, and still within its 2 year validity period;
- Theory & Hazard Perception 'pass cert' obtained, and still in validity period.
- Mod 1 pass cert obtained and within validity period.
You may apply for practical test, and at test apointment, present all certs, along with driving licence (both parts, paper & photo), with your vehicle documents, (MOT, Insurance etc) to prove you are legally able to take test and have met all qualifying criteria.....
And do the test..... 'pass' and you get your restricted licence and can ride anything up to 33bhp, and in two years anything you like.
Theory, Hazard-Perception, Mod1 & Mod 2 tests, combined, I think are currently about £150. With CBT, that makes £250ish, to which you need to add the cost of training, Theory DVD if you buy it, and then bike hire, or bike buy, kit and expenses.

From 'scratch', as a rough reckoner, budget about £500 for training and tests. Budget probably another £250 for basic 'kit'; helmet, gloves, boots, water-proofs. THEN you can start thinking about how much you have left to buy and insure a bike with.....

Its NOT cheap to get in the game, from a standing start. You can make ecconomies, but, you need to be careful where you make them. An awful LOT of people make them in the training costs, becouse NOT getting trained doesn't stop them riding, and training isn't something you can see, touch, taste, smell, wear, ride or fiddle with!

Often they pay the price though, later on, having to repeat CBT when thier initial cert runs out, or in repeated test-fees, becouse going it alone, they dont pass first time.

Also, many go the buy thier own bike route, and buy as cheap as possible to match the available funds. That also often wors out a falce ecconomy, as 'cheap' learner legals tend to have had the arse ragged out of them, and prove unreliable.

More expensive bikes, can seve you better, by doing the job, and actually work out cheaper, not costing you any money, or delays to getting your licence, and selling, when you have done with them for near enough what you paid.

Costs can be off-putting, but spending the right money in the right places, pays dividends later. Once you have a full licence in your pocket, and some miles under your belt, and some kit ready to wear, stepping up to a bigger bike will seem cheap as chips!
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[pinkyfloyd]

[N cee thirty]

ooh i like the sounds of this "I'm a rich housewife test"

____________________
'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[Highside_Hilly]

[pinkyfloyd]

[Teflon-Mike]

[Teflon-Mike]

[N cee thirty]

i wonder how much of that 20% is from car drivers pulling out on bikers
____________________
'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[Teflon-Mike]

[pinkyfloyd]

[blurredman]

I was 1k on my SEAT Marbella 850cc, 6 months after passing my test! I got the car for the exact reason of cheap insurance and easy maintenance in comparison with injection. Great MPG aswel! 35mpg around town! And 45mpg on the motorway doing 45/50mph constant!

Now I am 19, I have a 1.1L Peugeot 205 and I've specked it up with 1.8GTI wheels yeaaaaaaahhhh. It's still carburetta'd, but at least it is overhead cam unlike the marbella which was overhead valve. Anyway... Now my family do multi-car polocy with two Peugeot 205's on (Juniour Cabroilette and GL), the Marbella, a Subaru Forester and an '99 Audi A3 1.8Turbo.

Anyway..

If insurance is extremely high on a bloody mk1 panda (1980-86 (marbella)) then it wouldn't make a difference if you did have a restriction- because you couldn't afford it!
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.